It Was a Year of Cool Meteorological Events…
The end of the Mayan calendar barely registered among NV residents, but who cares about that when you've got the awesome transit of Venus, a solar eclipse and a blue moon. While not a meteor, the space shuttle Endeavour buzzed Noe on the way to LA, which was also pretty cool.

Just in time for the end of the holiday season and the beginning of the New Year: Pressed Juicery opened today at the corner of 24th and Sanchez. Judging from the foot traffic it's getting more than a few Noe Valley neighbors will be cleansing in early 2013.

December 27, 2012

Robbery -- 11:21am Duncan/Church. Officers Rueca and Elton went to investigate a robbery that just occurred at Church and Duncan Streets. They met with the victim who was visibly shaken up. The victim said she had just parked her car and began walking on the sidewalk while talking on her Apple Iphone, which was described as Black in color with an Orange and White striped phone cover. As the victim arrived at her destination, she saw a suspect crouching down on the sidewalk who appeared to be tying his shoe laces. When she walked past him, the suspect quickly stood up and pushed her, knocking her off balance and snatched her cell phone right out of her hand. The suspect then pulled his hood over his head and fled the scene. After the units searched the area, Officers Hurwitz and Canales located and detained a subject matching the physical and clothing description. The victim was transported to view the subject and she immediately recognized him as the same suspect who just robbed her. The Officer then searched the suspect and found a Black Iphone with Orange and White striped cover, just as the victim had described. The suspect couldn’t deny it and admitted to taking the phone. The suspect was booked accordingly for the robbery.

December 20, 2012

If you were up late last night you may have noticed some activity on Sutro Tower. Noe Valley resident trophygeek sent the above photo with this explanation:

Was headed to bed at 3am when I noticed strange lights coming from Sutro Tower. Guess they were doing work up there. The shot is of the mid-platform all lit up. First time I've seen it since moving to this neighborhood 3 years ago.

So what sent workers up the Tower on a cold night in December? Trophygeek heard from friends around the City that "they heard a massive bang last night from all over town. I think it was related to this work." Can anyone point to more info or speculation? Google isn't helping.

Regardless, we think the comments posted about this GIF provide the most likely explanation: epic lightsaber duel.

December 13, 2012

We received a few emails today about DEA action on Chattanooga St last night. This email from johnnyawe best set the scene:

In the middle of the night last night we heard pounding noise and angry voices, "open the door", not our house but nearby and loud enough to wake us up. This morning at 8:15am - 3 SUVs and 1 town car marked "department of justice" parked on the sidewalk and also in the driveway of 283-285 chattanooga. Several DEA agents (wearing all black with yellow letters "DEA") loading stuff into the cars.

We received a cease & desist letter regarding a trademark on the word 'craft' being used in any food service business. We were familiar with the company using 'craft' but didn't think our neighborhood bar would be an issue... Live and learn, I guess! It was unfortunate, but we believe in our new name, Caskhouse, and how it represents our bar.

Still no set opening date, but John says "hope to be serving you soon!"

At PRESSED JUICERY, we have created a comprehensive cleansing program designed to work with your everyday life. You will receive a daily supply of eight, 16 fl. oz. beverages straight to your doorstep each morning. Our juices are produced on a hydraulic press which extracts straight from the pulp, minimizing the changes that juices undergo during typical juicing processes, and releasing essential vitamins and minerals into each beverage.

Good timing for post-holiday purging, but the opening date is unknown. The Department of Public Health permit to operate is still pending, but there should be no problem as the space has been used as a "retail grocery or specialty food store" before (Belgano's, Stonehouse). Stay tuned.

Update (1/4/12): The original details posted in December have been removed at the request of shop owner Tara Kitami pending evolving details and negotiations. Tara says to expect the shop to open under a different name at 1478A Church St in mid-February. We'll update with details when they're confirmed. Meanwhile, the paper is off the windows and merchandise is on display. Stay tuned.

December 9, 2012

The package thief is in custody, but there are still some reports that parcels may be disappearing from doorsteps around the holidays. Enter Amazon delivery lockers. A tweet alerted us to an Amazon pickup locker in in Philz Coffee. If you're worried about delivery thieves, order your package from Amazon and you can have it delivered to the secure locker in the back of Philz for pickup.

Just a few weeks after Little Folkies opened, another oh-so-Noe kids' class is taking up residence next door in the space vacated by Loft 1513 in February and Reality World last month.Spark Creativity offers "art classes for children ages 2-6 where we encourage exploration, celebrate effort, delight in mess making, and guide children toward discovery of their creative spark."

The website is still just a splash page but the Facebook page is live. Classes start in January 2013 – call to enroll.
Spark Creativity
1513 Church Street
415-562-4172
Sparkcreativitysf.com

December 5, 2012

A look at Noe Valley projects in front of the Planning Commission this week. Information is provided by the Planning Commission, and taken from its published agenda. All hearings are on Thursday at 1:30pm, Room 400 in City Hall.

December 6

1144-1146 CASTRO STREET - on the west side of Castro Street between Elizabeth and 23rd streets; Lot 006 in Assessor’s Block 2804 - Mandatory Discretionary Review, pursuant to Planning Code Section 317(e), requiring review of Loss of Residential Units Through Merger, of Building Permit Application No. 2012.07.19.5186, to merge two dwelling units into one dwelling unit, changing the existing two-family dwelling to a single-family dwelling in an RH-2 (Residential, House, Two-Family) Zoning District and a 40-X Height and Bulk District.
Staff Analysis: Full Discretionary Review
Preliminary Recommendation: Do not take Discretionary Review and approve

It's rare that Planning Staff recommends approval of a Dwelling Unit Merger (DUM). It's very rare to place the application on the Consent Calendar. What makes this project special? Hard to know.

This project meets only three of the five criteria established for mergers. But since "neither of the two existing units is family-sized housing" and "the proposed unit merger would create a family-sized single-family dwelling," Staff concludes this project "would bring the building closer into conformance with the prevailing density, which is single-family dwelling." Sounds good. It also doesn't hurt that no one is opposing the project.

There is a bit of legal maneuvering in the application we're hoping someone can chime in on. The application states:

The property was sold with 1146 Castro vacant and 1144 Castro was tenant occupied. 1144 Castro has been owner-occupied since it was legally removed from rental housing use in May 2012.

The application also states:

As a matter of state law, this building is not residential rental housing and should not be considered as such since it cannot legally be used as rental housing under the Ellis Act. Merger will result in creation of new affordable housing for a family in a single unit home.

Is it really that simple? Buy a 2-unit building, Ellis Act the tenants and apply for a DUM? If it's that easy, why are these projects so rare?

The Noe Valley Voice is published ten times a year and has been a neighborhood fixture since 1977. Here are notable highlights from the latest issue. Links are to stories we've covered here on NVSF or outside sources as the Voice doesn't post stories until the middle of the month.December 2012

Front Page: Life at the local Fire Houses (the kind that still have active crews); A profile of Upper Noe Neighbor's Vicki Rosen; A profile of local bars, bistros and wine shops that seeks to dispel the belief that Noe Valley is full of sleepy old people.

Letters: One resident is unhappy with the NVV's recent "good report card" for Scott Wiener; Another appreciates coverage of families dealing with recent fires.

Feature: Local senior centers keep their doors open through tight times.

Cost of Living in Noe: "There's not of lot of [sales] difference to report this month." Still expensive. Solution: "Buy a condo."

Rumors: A promo for 24 HoliDAYS on 24th St; A promo for the recently released Noe Valley Guide to promote the neighborhood to tourists; Cliché Noe owner wants to create a Noe Valley Museum and bring back the Pioneer - "the first motor car built on the West Coast" to the shop where is was built on 24th St and that could house it permanently [Ed.--cool!]; Someone cleaned Harry Aleo's plaque; Election results ("Maintaining an Election"); The Tech Search Party is February 2nd; Bidding farewell to Claire Pilcher, founder of Friends of Noe Valley, who died recently at the age of 73.

December 4, 2012

Inside Scoop shares the news today that another new restaurant/take-out venue is headed to Noe soon – and it will replace the Korean BBQ restaurant Hahn's Hibachi. Called MF Chicken, it will be a Mexican-inspired rotisserie chicken spot from Joe Hargrave and chef Telmo Faria, the team behind Tacolicious in the Mission. From the writeup:

"The emphasis is going to be on takeout," says Hargrave, adding that he and his wife (San Francisco Magazine's Sara Deseran) live with their kids three blocks away and are always looking for easy weeknight dinners. "The idea is that people can pop in for lunch, or a mom can stop by after picking up kids from school and get a whole chicken with sides for dinner."

Faria, who will be the chef, explains the MF Chicken concept: "You can order a half or whole bird and pick your sides and you'll get your salsas and La Palma tortillas … The food will be fresh and quality, but it will be approachable and it will be affordable."

MF Chicken will be beer and wine only, and there will be an emphasis on the aguas frescas and horchata. Since it's a small space (25-30 seats), it will be a relatively quick build-out; Hahn’s Hibachi is currently still open.